Face protectors are now widely used by dentists, medical practitioners, and their auxiliary personnel in order to reduce the risk of direct facial contact with airborne micro organisms, minute particulate matter and liquid matter, and to gain protection against hazardous particles and contagious diseases.
The prior art face protectors use a variety of frames which support their shields with screws, bolts or clamps. The known face protectors are characterized by one or more of the following drawbacks: they are cumbersome and unsightly; they are stifling to wear and clumsy to place on and remove from the head of the wearer; their frames tend to mess up the operators' hair; they create pressure points on the head and face and consequential headaches; they are awkward to sanitize; their shield, due to its bulk and rigidity, pokes the patient, operator, and/or tools; they lack proper air circulation, and are subject to moisture accumulation and fogging.
It will be appreciated that using such prior art face protectors, especially in a 8-hour day practice, becomes disruptive to the dentist, his staff, as well as to patients.
Therefore, there is a great need for a very simple face protector which is safe, substantially trouble-free, and inexpensive to purchase so that it can be disposed, if necessary, without imposing an appreciable financial burden.
Accordingly, it is a main object of this invention to provide a new and unique approach to solving the above and other known face protector problems which, although heretofore recognized, have not been effectively addressed in this field.
It is a specific object to provide a face protector which requires no frame, and which uses Velcro (TM of Velcro USA, Inc.) type fasteners.